Scholarships & Financial Aid

AUP is American. AUP is French. AUP is proudly international. We believe that identities are complex and multifaceted and that cultural perspectives are best when shared. If you see yourself as living an international lifestyle, if you feel connected to more than one country, or if you think of yourself as a third-culture kid, you’ll fit right in to the AUP community. The Cross-Cultural Award is given to students who know how to communicate the benefit of their international experiences to their peers and colleagues. We look for students who feel at home in the world and are comfortable in unfamiliar environments. If you believe that living and learning across national borders has positively impacted your life, and if you want to help others find similar experiences, then you’re the perfect candidate. 

• €5,000 a year 
• Awarded at the time of application 
• No separate application required – award evaluation is based on your AUP application 

There are many definitions of a global explorer, but all definitions have one thing in common – the willingness and drive to go out of one’s comfort zone and engage with the world in new ways. You don’t have to have led an international life to feel drawn to an international setting. AUP students come from all over the world, from over a hundred countries across six continents. They grow up in large cities, small towns and rural villages. What brings them together is a need to explore. The Global Explorer Award is given to students who encapsulate this intrepidness. If you’re looking for an international education to broaden your horizons and dive into new experiences, then this award is made for you. 

• €7,000 a year 
• Awarded at the time of application 
• No separate application required – award evaluation is based on your AUP application 

At AUP, you build your own pathway. A liberal arts education extends beyond the classroom and into all aspects of life. AUP’s Global Professional Skills (GPS) Program is a co-curricular initiative that provides the tools you need for continuous growth and improvement toward your personal and professional goals. It encourages participants to think of their curricular and co-curricular endeavors as intertwined and to learn from each new experience. If you are someone involved in student clubs, volunteer activities or community organizing, then you already know how enriching co-curricular activities can be as a complement to academic studies. The GPS Co-Curricular Scholarship is awarded to curious students who seek, through the GPS Program, to seize new opportunities and reflect on how these activities shape their present and future. 

• €5,000 a year 
• Awarded at the time of application 
• No separate application required – award evaluation is based on your AUP application 
• Participation in the GPS Program is required 

For those students educated within the French high-school system, the American liberal arts model of higher education offers greater flexibility and more opportunities for exploration than traditional French universities. AUP is uniquely placed to provide an American education on French soil. If you have completed the French Baccalaureate in France or in one of its overseas territories, then you are eligible for this additional scholarship. We’re looking for high-achieving students who want to explore the merits of an international setting without needing to travel overseas.  

• €10,000 a year 
• Awarded at the time of application 
• No separate application required – award evaluation is based on your AUP application 
• Applicants must have completed the French Baccalaureate in France or an overseas territory 
• French citizenship is not required 

AUP rewards academic success. We also know that such success can come in many forms. High academic performance isn’t just about grades; it’s about taking your learning beyond the classroom and applying your knowledge to your daily experiences. An AUP education doesn’t differentiate between learning and life; it pushes you to be the architect of your own future, as you pursue meaningful careers and developmental pathways built on your academic experiences. If you enjoy learning in all aspects of your life, and if your academic interests fuel your extracurricular passions, then you may well be considered for an Experiential Learner Award. 

• €3,000 a year 
• Awarded at the time of application 
• No separate application required – award evaluation is based on your AUP application 

Purposeful travel is central to an AUP education. Your classes carry learning outside of the classroom, encouraging you to apply your knowledge to real-life situations out in the field. AUP’s Cultural Program has, since 1962, given students the opportunity to sharpen their intellectual curiosity through faculty-led study trips across France, Europe and the world. The Cultural Program Award is designed for students who demonstrate a strong desire for academic, cultural and personal exploration, but who need help financing study trips. 

• €1,000 a year (does not roll over) to be spent on Cultural Program study trips 
• Awarded at the time of application 
• No separate application required – award evaluation is based on your AUP application 
• This award is ineligible to fund cultural program excursions in the fall and spring semesters

The AUP alumni community is over 20,000 strong. Once you graduate, you’ll form part of a close-knit community that stays connected for life. It’s no surprise that some of the global explorers attending the University today are not the first in their families to join us in Paris. The Alumni Scholarship is awarded to admitted degree-seeking students whose parent or grandparent graduated from The American University of Paris with either a bachelor’s or master’s diploma.  

• 10% of tuition each year 
• Awarded at the time of application 
• Information about parent’s or grandparent’s link to AUP must be provided as part of the application 
• Alumni relative must have graduated with either a bachelor’s or master’s diploma from AUP 

AUP is committed to supporting veterans of the United States Armed Forces and their families. Veterans or current military dependents who qualify for the Post 9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) or the VA Survivors and Dependents Education Assistance Program (Chapter 35) and who can produce a VA Certificate of Eligibility will receive an annual Veterans Scholarship. 

• €5,000 (€2,500 each for Fall and Spring semesters) 
• You must submit your VA Certificate of Eligibility no later than the first day of classes 
• May not be combined with any other Financial Aid Awards

We are Title IV-approved (code G07881) by the United States Department of Education to participate in the federal Direct Loan Program and administer loans to American citizens and permanent residents. This loan program gives our students access to Subsidized and Unsubsidized Direct Loans, Parent PLUS and Graduate PLUS loans. Our American students can also apply for the private Sallie Mae Smart Option Loan. Due to federal regulations, students applying through guaranteed transfer agreements will only be eligible for private loans, and not for federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized Direct Loans and PLUS loans.

Most undergraduate students take out Subsidized and Unsubsidized Direct Loans first and then use the Parent PLUS loan or the Smart Option loan for the balance. Eligibility and more detail are provided in the official financial award letter.

Please note that AUP students are not eligible for the Pell grant, or any other federal grants, as these grants are not applicable to universities that are located outside of the U.S., in accordance with federal regulations.

With the exception of the private Smart Option loan, which you can apply for directly online through Sallie Mae, all students applying for US federal loans must begin by filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) for each academic year.

Once you complete the FAFSA, a copy of the Student Aid Report (SAR) is sent to us electronically if you request it. AUP's Title IV code is G07881. It’s the student's responsibility to fill out the FAFSA properly and resolve any outstanding issues.

Filling out the FAFSA does not mean that you have applied for any loans. Completing the FAFSA is only the first of several steps required to apply for loans. You still need to apply for federal loans online. You will also need to complete the AUP Loan Plan on your AUP Status page.

Once you’ve completed your FAFSA and the required steps to apply for loans, the Financial Aid Office initiates the request for your loan funds. This process takes about a week. Then, Student Accounting Services will credit your student account at The American University of Paris with the corresponding loan amount in Euros.

If any excess loan funds are on your student account after tuition and fees have been covered, student accounting services will prepare a check in Euros that you can deposit into your local bank account in Paris and use for your living expenses. Most students receive living expense money from their loans at the beginning of the semester. Nevertheless, federal regulations prevent The American University of Paris from disbursing loan funds, and therefore turning over any living expense money, any time prior to 10 days before the beginning of the loan period, usually the first day of the semester.

Please address all questions about your student account, gaining access to the refund check, and local banking issues to Student Accounting Services.

U.S. Department of Education regulations determine total loan eligibility, i.e. the maximum amount you can borrow in any given loan period, based on the following formula: tuition + fees + reasonable living expenses – financial awards received. Your FAFSA results will determine how this final amount is divided among your different loan types, but your overall loan eligibility is provided in the official financial award letter.

You cannot borrow more than your loan eligibility unless a detailed budget is presented and approved by the AUP Financial Aid Office. Federal statute indicates explicitly what can and cannot be included in a budget. For example, items such as past credit card debt, most start-up costs before arriving on campus, rent that is noticeably higher than that of most other students, security deposits and any expenses outside of a loan period cannot be included in the budget.

Once a loan has been certified and the funds are ready to be requested from the Department of Education. Student Accounting Services will credit your account with the net amounts of the loan. The net US dollar amount is converted to Euros using the official daily exchange rate for the day The American University of Paris received the funds.

Students who borrow federal loans are limited in the amount of study they can complete in the United States. This is because AUP is a "foreign university" (meaning our campus is located outside of the United States) as defined by the US Department of Education. Once at AUP, degree-seeking students who receive federal loans cannot elect to study inside the United States if it means more than 25% of their program (degree) is made up of courses completed in the United States. This takes into account previous transfer credits to AUP as well. Each request to study abroad, whether it is an entire semester or a one-course internship/thesis must be measured against the 25%  threshold. Please contact the Financial Aid Office for more information.

If you apply for one of these loans and your credit check fails, you will either need to correct the problem with your credit report or apply with an endorser. We encourage you to ensure that any problems get resolved well before payment deadlines.

Although the Financial Aid Office strives to ensure that our students understand the complexities of the student loan process, we’ll never refuse to certify a loan for an eligible student. However, the Financial Aid Office will not process federal loans for a) students taking summer session courses before they begin their full-time studies in the fall semester; b) students who are not registered full-time during their first semester.

Almost all awards granted by AUP are easily renewed every year by meeting certain minimum requirements.  Merit awards and scholarships are maintained each semester by keeping a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA. Tuition Awards for undergraduate students are maintained with a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA . Americans who receive federal loans must re-apply for the loans each academic year, which means completing, at minimum, a new FAFSA and a new Master Promissory Note(s) (MPN) for each loan.

You may appeal, in writing, to the Financial Aid Office to reinstate a financial award or scholarship once you meet the qualifications for the award again. For example, a student losing a merit award or scholarship due to a 2.8 cumulative GPA at the end of the fall semester must achieve a 3.0 cumulative GPA by the end of the spring semester before an appeal for reinstatement can be made. Awards are reinstated the semester following the appeal. An appeal cannot be made retroactively.

All types of financial awards will be applied directly to your AUP student account. Your award is tied to registration and course load, and will be adjusted if you register for according to any course overload or part-time.  There are two exceptions:  enrollment.  a) audited courses are not eligible    b) students taking a course overload who have merit awards and scholarships will receive the full semester amount, not a pro-rated amount for additional overload charges.

If you are an American student receiving loans, we will submit loan amounts for you to the Office of Student Accounting Services, which will credit your student account. If a positive balance remains following the deduction of tuition and fees from your loan amount, a refund check in euros will be issued to you by student accounting services.

FAFSA is an acronym that stands for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and is required of all American students applying for financial awards and loans. The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) formula on the FAFSA helps our Financial Aid Office determine financial need. Our overall financial award evaluation policy for all students is loosely based on the FAFSA to determine need, as well as the family's expected contribution (EFC) to the overall annual education cost.

You may still qualify for loans provided that you’re still registered for at least 6 credits. Your Tuition Award will be pro-rated however your loan eligibility will decrease. Therefore, it is important to inform the Financial Aid Office prior to the beginning of the semester if you expect to drop below full-time registration. If you drop down to less than half-time registration (0 to 5 credits), you may not apply for additional loans and your previous loans will no longer qualify for an in-school deferment.

No. This is, unfortunately, a very common question, but federal regulations state explicitly that we cannot disburse living expense money any time prior to 10 days before the first day of class. If your loans are guaranteed and set up completely, we’re happy to intervene and speak with your landlord or provide documentation advocating for a payment extension until you receive your funds.

Yes, but only if you’re going to be registered for at least 6 credits during the summer session. If you’re not registered in the summer, you can’t include any summer expenses on the budgets of the preceding spring or following fall semesters.

Students are eligible to use private scholarships to pay for tuition.

With a student visa, you have the right to work part-time in France during your studies.